Red Alert For Heavy Rains In 6 Districts Of Uttarakhand

A red alert for heavy rains on Sunday and Monday has been sounded in six districts of Uttarakhand, including Dehradun and Nainital, by the meteorological department here. The hill state has been reeling under incessant Monsoon showers that have left 60 people dead and 17 missing while affecting normal life.

Intense to very heavy spells of rain with thunder and lightning at isolated places have been forecast for the two days in Tehri, Dehradun, Pauri, Champawat, Nainital and Udham Singh Nagar districts where the red alert has been sounded, while Haridwar district is under orange alert, officials said.

The government has directed their district magistrates and the State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) to remain alert to assist the people in case of any emergency.

Authorities in Dehradun and Champawat have ordered the closure of schools in the two districts on Monday. Landslides triggered by incessant rains have blocked traffic on various roads, including national highways, affecting the movement of people, they said.

Rishikesh-Chamba National Highway was blocked for traffic due to a landslide near Kunjapuri Bagardhar in Tehri while the movement of heavy vehicles has been stopped on Rishikesh-Devprayag-Srinagar National Highways at Sakhnidhar.

According to information from the State Emergency Operation Center, 60 people have lost their lives, 37 have been injured and 17 are missing so far in various incidents during this Monsoon.

In addition, 1,169 houses were damaged and a large amount of agricultural land was washed away. Roads and bridges have also suffered a lot of damage due to the rains in the state.

A red alert is a warning for extremely bad weather conditions that are certainly going to disrupt travel and power and pose a significant risk to life. An orange alert indicates extremely bad weather with the potential of disruption in commute with road and drain closures and interruption of power supply.